Downsizing : Should we Move?

The question I am most asked by people who are thinking of downsizing is ” where do we go?”.  But the first question to be asked is “Should we move?”

Below are some questions that you may want to consider before putting your house on the market :

Why are you thinking of moving?

• Is your house too big?
• Is it too expensive?
• Does it require too much time and energy to maintain?
• Do you have any medical issues that have, or will, come into play with your current living conditions?
• Too far from family members or close friends?
• Just ready for a change?

What do you like about your house?

• Layout?
• Location?
• View?
• Neighbors?

What do you want in your next house?

• Layout?
  • What rooms do you use now, and will you need in a new home?
  • Really consider how you use your home, and make sure you get the space you use.
  • More energy efficient? Tankless hot water heater, geothermal heating, or double pane windows? What is on your wish list?
  • What are you thinking of getting involved with? Will you need a workshop, or hobby room?
• Location?
  • Do you want to be within walking distance to shopping, entertainment, or dining?
  • Do you walk, bike, swim, or enjoy another type of activity that needs to be considered in your location?
  • Are you planning on traveling and prefer a gatehouse, or secure neighborhood?
  • Does townhouse living look appealing?
  • Want more land, or less land?
  • Do you need to be near mass transportation?
  • How close do you need to be to a hospital?
  • Does internet access make a difference?
• View
  • What do you want to see?
  • Which direction do you want your home to be facing?
  • Do you want shade trees, or an open view?
  • Golf course, water view, sunsets?
• Neighbors?
  • One of my favorite calls was to a friend who had recently moved to a “retirement living” community. It was snowing outside and I wanted to make sure she had everything to ride out the storm. She told me that she was leaving town to go south for a couple of weeks to get away from the cold weather, but the next statement surprised me! She said ” no one warned me that there wouldn’t be any children to watch playing in the snow over here. Everyone is just staying inside! ” So ask yourself, what do you like about your neighborhood, and would not want to miss in your next home?
  • Do you use your neighborhood as your main source of friends? Or how will you be making friends in the future?

Tomorrow we will review the answers!

Please send us your comments. Let us know if we should add something to this list! And contact us (info@sagehometeam.com )  if you are thinking of downsizing! We will be happy to listen and help you make the decision whether to move or stay!

 

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Stop Water Leaks – A Must Have System For Every Home

What is your worse case water disaster nightmare due to plumbing problems?

• The hot water heater blows a hole out of the side, instead of going into the pan set up to stop a leak.
• Toilet doesn’t stop running while your are away
• Ice maker starts leaking behind the refrigerator

Whatever the problem, there is a new device called The Leak Defense System that will turn off the water to your home when it detects too much water being used.

As they state on their website The Leak Defense System is installed on the incoming water line to your home.  It  monitors the water flow 24/7.  If the water flow exceeds your preset limits the water is turned off to the entire home to prevent major damage and an audible  alarm goes off . You can also set it up so a third party can be alerted.  Once the cause of the water flow is determined and remedied you turn the system back on and water flows back into the house.

As water is one of the biggest insurance claims by homeowners, many insurance companies have worked out discounts to install a Leak Defense System for their customers. Once installed, you may also receive  lower premiums (5-7%)  because you have taken action to prevent or minimize a potential problem.

Contact your insurance agent or company and ask if you can receive a discount and lower premium by adding the leak defense system.

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Size Does Matter When Selling A House

The smaller the house, the quicker the sale according to  Paul Anglin, an associate professor at The University of Guelph .

His study, as seen here , shows one bathroom homes sell 13% faster and three bathroom homes took 50% longer to sell.

Tara and I think there are several reasons that support his findings.

1. Smaller homes cost less.
2. A variety of buyers are waiting to purchase smaller homes – investors, first time homeowners, downsizing individuals to name a few.
3. The combination of more people looking with a lower price helps with the speed of the sale.

But size is not everything. Price, dictated by location and condition, as well as demand will ultimately determine the speed of the sale.

Betty Hesaltine

 

Please contact Sage Home Team with any questions about Real Estate in Richmond, Va

Grab Your Buyer With Words

I read a really interesting  article found  today’s issue of the Wall Street Journal  that I had to share with you.  Motivated Seller by any Other Name was based on a large study done by Paul Anglin, as associate professor of  real estate at the Univeristy of Guelph in Ontario. He discovered that the right words used in the description of a home listing can have an effect on the speed of selling a home as well as the final sale price . The  following graph found at msn real estate  shows some of his findings

The right words pay off in speed and money*

Term	Effect on time until sale	Effect on list price	Effect on selling price
Beautiful	-15%	+5%	+5%
Move-in condition	-12%	Insignificant	Insignificant
Good value	-5%	-6%	-5%
Must see	Insignificant	+4%	Insignificant
Starter home	-9%	-10%	-10%
Vacant	Insignificant	-5%	-8%
Rental property	+60%	-7%	-9%
Handyman special	-50%	-30%	-30%
Moving	Insignificant	-1%	-1%
Motivated	+30%	-6%	-8%
Landscaping	-20%	+5%	+6%
Source: “House Prices and Time-till-sale in Windsor,” Professor Paul Anglin, University of Guelph, Ontario*The study examined roughly 20,000 listings in Windsor and Essex counties, Ontario, from between 1997 and early 2000. The effects shown are averages; wide variations appeared within categories.

Beautiful, and landscaping added to the sale price, while Move in condition, Good value, starter home and handyman special decreased the time on market.

If you are selling stay away from motivated,  and Rental property! Not only did they increase the time on market they decreased the selling price.

Be careful when you describe your home ! What the buyers read makes a difference in their perception of your home.

What words  help you decide if a home is worth your visiting and what words turn you off?

Danny and the Wine Tasting

A couple of weeks ago a good friend invited  me to join her for wine tasting to celebrate her birthday. This past Saturday we piled into her amazingly comfortable mini van to go to Barboursville Vineyard. Now, if you have not been to a Vineyard, this is a great place to start. They have lots of great wines to taste, and a wonderful tour of their winery. It was a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday!  Plus, they had really nice people serving the wine. Most tasters were just holding their glass out, requesting the next wine to be poured. But, I was talking to the servers and finding out a little about them. Everyone was really nice, answering my questions, as well as teaching me what I was tasting. And then came Danny.

The third tasting “stall” server had a nice looking young man with a pleasant smile. He also had a tattoo on his arm that I, of course, had to ask about. Danny explained to me about the artist, and the significance of the tattoo and then started telling me a bit about himself. Having taken time off between high school, he is returning to college this fall to pursue his dream of becoming a graphic designer. And hopefully one day he would like to work as a designer for a comic book firm. He is going to do really well. I know this because he is already envisioning his new life.

Tara and I love to work with people who have visions of their new life.  Just like Danny, they have taken the first step and committed themselves to change. In today’s world of not knowing what tomorrow will bring taking that first step can be very difficult. Who does not make the move?

• A homeowner who knows that it is their best interest to downsize, or move to a less expensive location, but can’t stand that the house was worth more during the “bubble” and are waiting for the market to return.
• A renter who sees rent increasing every year, but is fearful the future may bring job problems or worse.

So, what is the answer people who are reluctant to take the first step? Knowledge and action. Here are examples of movement:

• We were contacted by sellers who had drawn up their five year plan. They wanted to be closer to family and their current home was not part of the plan. . Problem was their home was worth less than what they owed. We sat down with them, helped come up with a plan of action and over time they saved enough money to keep from having to do a short sale. Then we staged and marketed their home so that it sold within two weeks.
• Buyers came to us because they were constantly in the car. They lived 30 minutes from their children’s schools and were driving hours each day. They saw themselves living closer to their schools, and playing with their children. After a month of looking they found the perfect home and love the fact that they are now enjoying life and relaxing with their children instead of being in the car all day.

So, what do you need to know to make the decision to change your life and how can we help you get there? Go ahead and take that first step. It doesn’t mean you have to move today, but you will discover what needs to be done to get to your dream.

 Please visit our website at www.SageHomeTeam.com to see our latest listings. 

Organizing your move Tip #2 Stay Focused

Today is the day to tackle that first space to organize and de-clutter your home. The key to today is staying focused. Where to begin?

Dress appropriately! Wear comfortable clothing and shoes with great support. You are going to need to stretch, bend, and stand so get ready!
Make signs. Nothing elaborate, but clearly label separate ,distinct areas within the room for:       Trash      Consign or Donate       Move       Keep   

1. Trash is for anything that can no longer be used. 
2. Consign or Give Away are for items that still have value, or for items that need to be researched for value
3. The move pile should be for items that are misplaced from their usual “home”. Let’s say you find that missing ice cream scoop you got for Christmas last year.  It should be in your kitchen. Instead of taking it to the kitchen right away, put it in the pile of things to move to their correct home later. That way you stay focused on the room you are de-cluttering. 
4. Keep is for things you want and this room is their appropriate home  

Gather tools : If you are going to need a step stool or a ladder get it in the room now.

 Do not get trash bags, organizing boxes. That will come in a bit. 

Food and water Having some water bottles, and small snacks will keep you in the room instead of leaving and coming back.

Once you begin going through items have a 10, 20, or 30 second time limit as to how long you look at something before it has to go into a pile. Stay focused on the goal of going through everything in the space and how great it is going to be to have this organized!

I like to think of this as a game instead of a chore. Similar to Jeopardy where “they” say your gut feeling is often the right answer organizing your space is similar.  If you throw something into a pile without really thinking, it is probably in the right pile.

The key to today is stay focused. Don’t get off track by carrying items to different rooms, or remembering the stories of where, what, or who, gave, got, or used. And don’t second guess your decision about which pile to put something into. There will be time to go through the piles next. Instead think about how great it is going to be to have an organized space where you can find all the things you really want.

Next: Where does all this stuff go?

We are Betty Hesaltine and Tara Daly. We started Sage Home Team  to help buyers and sellers in the Richmond, Va area have fun, and really understand what it takes to move. The more you know, the more fun it is for you!

Realtors at Sarah Bice and Associates Real Estate LLC

Li

censed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Organizing to Move Tips: #1 Get Prepared

We are all going to move sometime, and if you are organized today, it will make it much easier whenever you are ready to put your house on the market.It may be next month, next year, or ten years from now!

 Nineteen years ago this March we moved into our home. It was so much larger than our previous home we never thought we would fill it up. AND we were going to be careful to not clutter our attic, garage, or closets, because we had learned our lesson about keeping stuff. Hadn’t we?

Flash forward. The kids are grown, but we have all of their stuff,(and I mean ALL) and we have just enough room to move in the garages, attics, and closets. While we aren’t moving this year, we will move one day, so where do we begin? This week I am going to focus on how to get your home ready to move.

1.Set up a calendar 

How many rooms do you have? This includes bedrooms, bathrooms, attics, garages, outside sheds, closets, kitchens, pantry, etc. Put on the calendar which room you are going to clean on each day. Attics, or garages may take longer than one day, so give yourself plenty of time. In fact, if you think it will take one day, give yourself three times that amount. Give yourself time, but don’t let it go over three months to be complete.

If you are thinking of moving right away call us to help you get this process figured out quickly!

2. Where will the stuff go? 

Go to local consignment stores to find one that you like to help you sell your newer clothes,  and furniture. There are places that will sell kitchen ware, curtains, Set up accounts so they are ready to look over your things before you start to clean!

Many of the thrift stores like Salvation Army, Goodwill, or others, will come and pick up usable items for free. Key work, usable. Please do not give away things that are broken, have holes in them, etc. They are not a trash company.

Find someone to help haul away your “trash”. Most localities will haul your trash away for a  fee.

3. Find a friend

Alright, you may be able to do this without a friend, but someone who is not close to your items may make going through things a bit easier. Plus, it is really nice to have someone help haul, move, box up , or throw away things. And someone to help you stay focused on what you are doing. This is what organizers do to help. If you need help finding a good organizer give us a call.

Tomorrow, Stay focused!!!

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Betty Hesaltine and Tara Daly are Realtors with Sarah Bice and Associates Real Estate, LLC. They form Sage Home Team which specializes in fine properties in Richmond,Va. Please call if you are thinking of moving for our list of tips!